Fabio De Lima scored four times as the UAE roared back into contention for a place at the 2026 World Cup with an extraordinary 5-0 win over Qatar in Abu Dhabi.
Al Wasl playmaker De Lima netted a first-half hat-trick, before adding another after the break, as they stunned the reigning Asian champions, on one of the greatest nights ever for the national team.
The win was sweet on so many levels for the hosts. Primarily, it keeps them firmly in the hunt for one of the two automatic qualifying places for the World Cup in United States, Canada and Mexico in two years’ time.
If victory over Kyrgyzstan on Thursday had breathed life into their hopes of making it to the main event for the first time since 1990, this will have supercharged their belief that it is possible.
With four matches remaining, they are third in the group, trailing Uzbekistan, who sit in second having beaten North Korea earlier in the day, by three points.
It had added significance, too. Aside from their geographical proximity, these two sides have a footballing rivalry that has become increasingly antagonistic in recent years.
The win bettered the scoreline that Qatar had inflicted on the UAE in Abu Dhabi in 2019 in winning the first of two successive Asian Cups.
If that night five years ago had been one of the worst nights for the UAE national team, then this must rank up there alongside the very best. Certainly, it was easily a match for their thrilling, comeback win against the same opposition in Doha in September.
Ahead of the game, it was difficult to tell how much was riding on it for the home team. The atmosphere was flat, other than the corner of the Al Nahyan Stadium where the away fans were based.
It felt eerie. Plenty of tickets were sold. Fans had streamed in, with the final attendance of 13,825 being only a few short of a packed house. Homemade signs decorated the stands, carrying messages such as “We trust you guys,” “Dreams will come true,” and “Fight to win.” And yet the supporters themselves remained silent.
A flick was switched just after the anthems, with the home fans spelling out the words “Dream of the nation” in a tifo that stretched the length of the field. Still, though, the noise was subdued.
Then, as the countdown to kick-off counted down three, two, and then one, the crowd suddenly erupted. The UAE fans burst into song, bounced around, and white smoke spread from a flare.
The players responded with a fast start. The UAE were ahead in the sixth minute, as Yahya Al Ghassani rumbled down the left wing and crossed for De Lima, who drilled home.
If any of the players thought that was job done already, then their coach had other ideas. Paulo Bento was constantly demanding more from his players, in particular Bruno De Oliveira, the striker who had an important job pressing from the front.
Bento also wanted the supply line to Akram Afif, Qatar’s creative talisman, cut out. Too often, the ball was finding him and he was in turn finding holes in the UAE backline.
The hosts were lucky when Mohammed Al Bayati’s shot bounced out after hitting the post, after he had been freed by a deft through ball from Afif.
That aside, the home team looked confident. In particular, Al Ghassani won applause from his teammates and coaching staff alike for his endeavour, and nearly from the crowd, too, when he curled a shot from distance against the crossbar.
Behind Bruno, the UAE’s three attackers were dovetailing brilliantly. Harib Abdallah earned a penalty when he was fouled by Lucas Mendes. De Lima, who had played the through ball that created the opening, made no mistake from the penalty spot.
By the time the entire UAE squad had finished celebrating that goal, the fourth official was signalling seven minutes stoppage time would be added. That was enough time for the hosts to add a third, and De Lima to complete his own personal treble.
He did so in some style. Again, it was Abdallah who was fouled in a central position 25 yards out. De Lima lined up the free kick, and curled it majestically into the corner of Meshal Barsham’s goal.
Everything De Lima did turned to gold – and goals – albeit built on the continued hard work of his teammates. In the 56th minute he got his fourth, again from the penalty spot, and this time after Al Ghassani had refused to give up on a lost cause.
By that stage, the home fans were in dreamland. They celebrated the goal by dancing the Poznan, with their backs to the field. From there, they moved on to Mexican waves. It was party time.
There was still time for Al Ghassani to get the goal his performance deserved. Just after Abdallah had been forced to exit the field with what appeared to be a groin injury, his fellow winger raced through to net the fifth.
